5 Year Old with a Cough for over 6 Months.. Ugh!

Take him to see an allergist/asthma doctor. That's what it sounds like to me too. We put my daughter on nasonex (seasonally) it made a world of difference! He may not be sick but he is probably not sleeping well. You could also try another antihistimine. Claritin doesn't work for everybody.

You may not have changed anything but you live near water and dampness with mold spores. Certain times of the year are harder on people than others.

I am glad that you are going to a new doctor and I hope that you find out what is causing the problem before it really becomes a problem. Allergies are no fun.

Take care of him and let us know what you find out.

The other S.

PS My son was allergic to wool and horses (the hair of the horse) and would break out in a rash on his face wherever he touched the animal.

I have a hard time believing you say "we've had the same 2 dogs, same cat"
and haven't considered allergies? (At least you don't mention you have.) Allergies can develop at any time. Also, has your ped considered asthma?

I don't really have any more suggestions other than to get him to a doctor until they figure it out. It's not normal to cough for six months, and I'm sorry that you jumped at two SURGICAL procedures without knowing what was going on. Scary. I would honestly be searching for a new doctor...this one has given you bad advice!!!

(And again...sounds like allergies and asthma to me. There are other drugs available besides CLaritin, which honestly, doesn't work for everyone.)

Allergy tests were two years ago; these symptoms are the past six months.

Things do NOT have to change for people to develop allergies. People develop allergies all the time. Have him re-tested and be sure it's a very thorough test. My husband developed allergies as an adult. You can develop them at any point in life.

You won't want to hear this but he could have developed allergies to your dogs or cat or both. Be open to that possibility and if he is now allergic to them -- put him first. Another possiblity may be mold in your home (not visible) that you don't smell or see but that is affecting him. It does not mean your home is "dirty" -- any home can get mold.

He sounds like he's miserable and also like he's had some poor diagnoses, since other things like tubes and adenoid removal didn't help. I'd ensure you get referrals to different doctors, not the ones who saw him earlier. And please be open to the idea that IF he is allergic to the animals, they can be re-homed rather than having your son on medication 24 hours a day forever.

It just has to be allergies. Allergies to something.. Get him an electric air filter for his bedroom and clean everything really well. we pulled out all carpets in our home and got rid of all drapes.

Keep his door closed and do not allow the pets in there.

At lease make his bedroom a breathing sanctuary.

Just because Claritin did not work, does not mean something else will not work.

I would ask for a full Allergy test. Just because he was not allergic to pets before, does not mean he is not allergic now.

Also could be a coughing Asthma.

You state, "nothing has changed," but it sounds like your son has. Most allergies develop over continued exposure and people don't develop symptoms until later in life. I wasn't born allergic to dust and mold. The symptoms of an allergy first appeared when I was about 13. Take him back and get him re-tested. Good luck.

It could be that he does have allergies (tests done at age 3 are not normally done so it tells me that he may have had symptoms back then too). Even though your pets and other things haven't changed does not mean his tolerance couldn't have went down. Be sure you home is cleaned well (not saying it isn't but it could be a certain area or item that is triggering this) paying special attention to your son's bedroom and it's contents. Bath the animals (including the cat). I would also evaluate what chemicals are in you home.

Has he been checked for acid reflux?
Sometimes an irritated esophagus can show up in strange ways and coughing can be one of them.
Allergies can develop at any time so it might be time to re-test him for new sensitivities.
An allergy test done 2 years ago has no bearing on what is happening now.
I hope this gets resolved soon.
It must be miserable for him to be coughing all the time.

Sounds like allergy asthma. My sister used to cough and cough and cough. My parents would walk the floor with her.

It ended up no animals in the house, at all. Her stuffed toys were given away. No carpets in the house and everything on her bed washed in hot water. And allergy shots, twice a week at first, and then once a week for years.

The upshot? Normalcy as a teen and an adult. She still can't get around a cat without her eyes getting red and her nose running and sneezing, but she doesn't end up coughing for hours on end and ending up in an oxygen tent in the hospital. (That started happening the 2nd year into this coughing thing...)

You need to go to a pediatric allergist again and have a full panel of testing done, including blood work.

Good luck,
Dawn

Time for a new doctor. After our son had his tubes put in we heard that you could fix ear infections with a criopractor!!! I almost wouldnt believed it aside from the fact our friend took her daughter there. She did not want to pump her small toddler full of meds or put her under for tubes. Who would have thought.

If your not getting an answer from the mainstream doctors try something alternative. Go to someone very experiencecd prefably who has a store that sells holistic and essential oils. Sometimes its the old "earth" medis or all natural. Espically when the main stream doctors just kinda shrug...or make guesses thinking surgery will "fix" the issue.

Do you want to continue with tests and medications? Soon someone is going to tell you to get rid of the animals and start elimination diets and all of that, or are you open to a non-medical approach? There's so much you can do very easily to stimulate his own immune system. Couldn't hurt, will succeed if you are motivated. Happy to help you if you have a little time to investigate.

Your son's symptoms sound a lot like what my son went through about a year ago. We finally went to an allergist and yes he's allergic to everything growing under the son, but the cough was actually caused by a sinus infection. I would think that with all your doctor visits and surgery that would have been discovered if it was the same in your son.

My son's allergist told us that Zyrtec is the best allergy med. on the market, so you might try switching. My son takes Zyrtec and Nasonex everyday.

Good Luck!

M

Is there any chance at all of a mold/mildew situation in your house? It isn't always obvious or easy to spot...a slightly musty basement, a seemingly dry spot on a ceiling or wall, old carpeting, condensation in the heating/cooking ducts or window sills.

I once opened an always-closed curtain to find mold gathering along the frame edges. The curtain was trapping moisture.

Did he have these symptoms two years ago when he had the allergy tests? Is it possible he might have developed allergies since then? I would ask to have him tested again.

Allergies can still be a culprit - just like others have said, allergies develop over time and just because he was not allergic to something before does not mean it could not be an issue now. I would have him tested again, and also consider the mold/mildew issue as well. Maybe something like an inhalant steroid, like Nasonex or Flonase, would help.

If it turns out he is allergic to animal dander, there are ways of dealing with that that don't involve getting rid of the pets. Bathing the pets weekly (or at least rinsing them down with water) to cut down the dander load can help. And do not allow them to sleep in any bedrooms where people would be inhaling pet hair and dander all night long.

Acid reflux and a very stubborn sinus infection was what was causing my son to cough and be clear snotty for 3 months when he was really little. We thought allergies, and seasonal as well. Finally had enough and made the ENT do panels, allergy tests, and get to the bottom of it. It even meant me changing pediatricians, cause I began to believe the one we had did not have our best interest at heart. Once those two things cleared up he is fine. Going on two and not a problem again, just regular colds here and there. I do know we had to do 2 rounds of pretty strong antibiotics to get rid of that horrible sinus infection he had. Went to his ears and he was pretty miserable, and we didnt even know it.